Health: Relationship Between Arthritis & the African Mango

The flesh and seeds of African mango trees are the chief ingredients that people eat. Gastrointestinal pain and dysentery are two common complaints for which traditional medicine practitioners use the bark of this tree. The African mango tree’s bark also has an extensive history of usage as a pain reliever, most often in a poultice applied externally. In some areas of Africa, people also use the bark as a toothache remedy. Check in with your physician before you use this alternative remedy for arthritis pain.

AFRICAN MANGO TREE FACTS

The African Mango Tree species, Irvingia gabonensis, grows all over Central and West Africa. The tree’s name differs by region. Bush mango is a prevalent name for the tree and the edible fruit that it produces. Dika is a name that refers to the edible seed of the fruit and the tree.

TRADITIONAL MEDICINE USES

Having very little scientific records, the anecdotal proof is the foundation of African folk medicine uses for African mango bark to get rid of the pain. A 2004 literature analysis and study of the economic perspective of the African mango tree conducted for the U.S. Agency for International Development holds data about traditional medicine uses for the bark. This study notes that ethnobotanists have stated that the Mende tribe in Sierre Leone mixed the ground bark of the tree’s stems with water to make a topical pain relief paste. Beyond a momentary reference to this practice, no written data is available about the ratio of water to bark or the method for applying the paste.

RESEARCH

A single research study on mice produced proof that the bark of the Africa mango tree seems to have analgesic properties. The 1995 research, published in the “Journal of Ethnopharmacology,” compared the effect of African mango bark extracts to morphine and metamizole sodium for relieving pain from heat and pressure. This study used ethanol and water extracts from the bark of tree stems. The water extract was comparable to morphine for pain relief in the heat test, and the ethanol extract was less effective. Both extracts provided pain relief comparable to morphine and metamizole sodium in the pressure test. As of 2012, no further study has replicated these findings. No human studies on the pain relief possibility of African mango tree bark have appeared in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

AFRICAN MANGO FOR ARTHRITIS TREATMENT

The use of analgesics to relieve arthritis pain is a popular method. Treatments vary from topical creams and ointments to oral analgesics, such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen and prescription medications. Every one of these alternatives has the drawback of necessitating repetitive use for the reason that they merely offer short-term pain relief. The inadequate research on the pain-relieving characteristics of African mango bark has not created any trustworthy scientific backing for the usage of African mango or any material about potential side effects of topical use.

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